Bullying Prevention & Resources

Specific Strategies Youth Can Use to Deal with Bullying

  • Seek assistance from an adult, friend, or classmate when a potentially threatening situation occurs.

  • Be assertive (not aggressive, fighting, or teasing back) when possible.

  • Use humor to deflect a potential threatening situation.

  • Avoid unsafe places or walk away before a potential bullying encounter occurs.

  • Agree with or “own” a belittling comment to defuse it.

  • Walk with friends or a small group of friendly peers.

  • Use positive self-statements to maintain positive self-esteem during an incident.

  • Avoid getting emotionally upset when bullying occurs, as this may embolden the person bullying.

Strategies Youth Can Use to Prevent Cyberbullying

  • Never accept friend or network requests from unfamiliar people.

  • Use the “mom” principle: Do not post or share photographs or movies that you would not be willing to share with your mother, father, or another important caregiver.

  • Follow the “forever” principle: Assume that everything you put online will be there forever.

  • Follow the “no privacy” principle: Assume that everyone can access information about you in cyberspace.

  • Follow the “ex” principle: Would you be okay with your ex-boyfriends or girlfriends having access to content that you are planning to share?

  • Block threatening or questionable people from seeing your profile and personal information.

  • Do not post provocative, scandalous, or inflammatory remarks online.

  • Do not reply to or retaliate against incidents of cyberbullying.

  • Regularly change passwords to sites and applications, and immediately delete profiles that have been hacked.

  • Avoid sites, networks, and applications that have poor security, provide easy access to personal information, or encourage interactions among strangers.

  • Ensure that information is approved before it is posted or shared socially.

  • Limit involvement in social networking to a few familiar sites.

  • Avoid joining sites that do not have adequate privacy settings.

  • Never engage in sexting (sharing pictures or messages that have private sexual content).